Juneau — Witnesses at a March 31 joint education committee hearing described rising teacher and administrator turnover, identified retirement benefits and pay as primary drivers, and outlined statewide mentorship and recruitment efforts intended to keep educators in Alaska.

Lori Rextaschel, principal of Chinook Elementary School and president of the Alaska Association of Elementary School Principals, cited widely used cost estimates and local experience: "It is estimated that it costs $20,000 every time a teacher turns over," she said, and noted a Wallace Foundation estimate that replacing a principal can cost about $75,000. Rextaschel and other speakers tied turnover to lower student proficiency in high‑turnover districts.

Why it matters: Testimony linked staff turnover to direct instructional disruption and higher long‑term costs for districts. Officials said the loss of a defined‑benefit pension for many educators increased departures to the Lower 48 and to other states offering stronger retirement packages.

What leaders are doing: Several presenters described mentoring and induction programs. Rick Dormer, principal of Ketchikan High School and president of the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals, detailed the Alaska School Leadership Academy (ASLA), a two‑year mentoring program for principals funded in part by Title IIa grants that has served more than 77 percent of Alaska districts and reported thousands of mentor meetings. Jennifer Rinaldi, Alaska School Leadership Academy principal lead, said turnover and outside job opportunities account for some principals not completing the second year of mentorship.

The Alaska Educator Retention and Recruitment Center (ARC), represented by director Jennifer Schmitz, said it is coordinating a statewide implementation of the governor's teacher recruitment and retention playbook, operating a teacher‑personnel database and hosting virtual job fairs to connect candidates to districts. Schmitz noted the timing challenge created by funding uncertainty: districts hesitant to commit to hires before state budgets are finalized may lose out on out‑of‑state candidates who must sign contracts earlier.

Speakers also mentioned international hiring: Schmitz cited H‑1B visa statistics for FY24 showing 20 districts with teachers on H‑1B visas, 34 initial H‑1B approvals and 63 continuations, and said international applicants accounted for a large share of active applicants in the ARC database.

Policy points and requests: Lori Rextaschel called on legislators to "provide and fund a public pension system or a viable alternative retirement system that fairly compensates all district staff." Testimony also emphasized recruitment investments, statewide mentorship expansion and predictable funding that allows districts to make earlier hiring offers.

Evidence: The recruitment/retention discussion began with Rextaschel's presentation on turnover and pension effects (topic intro) and included ARC's job‑fair and visa data later in the hearing (topic finish).